‘[Julius] Rudel, who turns 75 today, strolled comfortably through music history on Saturday, leading the New York Chamber Symphony from the harpsichord in a performance of Handel’s Concerto Grosso, Op 6, No 12, then guided the ensemble through the jaunty dances of Richard Harvey’s recent Concerto Antico and the Viennese lilt of Schubert’s Symphony No 6’
Newsday
‘There are currently 20-30 recordings of Rodrigo’s work [Fantasia para un Gentilhombre] in the catalogue, and, given that quite a few other guitarists have the requisite technique (if not Williams’s polished mastery), there is no good reason why the same should not be the case with Harvey’s Concerto Antico, a work of great charm and high quality’
Gramophone
‘What a lovely disc this is! This is a collection of three English recorder concertos by Malcolm Arnold, Gordon Jacob, and Richard Harvey… Harvey’s concerto is a most enjoyable discovery’
Fanfare
‘★ Artistic rating 9/10… Suits the soloist [Michala Petri] as if it had been made to measure… A masterpiece. A highly recommended CD that will not only delight recorder fans, but will also appeal to a wide audience!’
Klassik Heute
‘Roger Chase conjures the most gorgeous tone from the Montagnana viola that once belonged to Lionel Tertis… While a student at the RCM, Chase was a roommate of Richard Harvey, whose Reflections (2012) is a comprehensive reworking of a concerto originally commissioned for the 1990 Exeter Festival. An accomplished and consistently rewarding piece it is, too’
Gramophone
‘After an hour of listening to Richard Harvey’s guitar concerto, I hadn’t written a thing. I had to turn the CD player off in order to begin to collect my thoughts about this wonderful new piece of music, written for one of the greatest guitar players in the world… It touches a deep and poignant place in the heart, without being overly sentimental. And when it’s over, you regret that you’ll never get to hear it again for the first time’
Musica Sacra, Colorado
‘★★★★ Zimmer’s use of the choir [in The Da Vinci Code, music conducted by Richard Harvey] is a step above anything he’s done before… It ends with a choral piece, Kyrie for the Magdalene, written by Richard Harvey, which is a very beautiful song and greatly adds to the tone of the score‘
Soundtrack.net
‘I raved over Harvey’s last record – Virtuoso Recorder Sonatas – and now I do the same here [Brass at La Sauve-Majeure], though the two have little musically in common. Harvey directs a combination of English and French players – including Crispian Steele-Perkins in marvellous form’
Music Week
‘Two items were composed by the music’s overall director, Richard Harvey, previously known to me as a recorder player. I especially enjoyed his variations on the once-popular Renaissance theme, L’Homme Armé. There is plenty to enjoy on this rumbustious disc, and I wish it every success’
Gramophone
‘Performed by the incomparable instrumental soloist Michala Petri… From the dramatic opening of Harvey’s Concerto Incantato through the pastoral meanderings of Jacob’s Suite for Recorder and Strings, this is the music of European myth and history. Recommended’
Scene
‘This is one of the best CDs of recorder music that I have ever heard. Michala Petri is utterly brilliant… essential listening for enthusiasts of recorder music’
MusicWeb International
‘It is a total delight in every way, featuring three generations of English composers… Harvey’s Concerto Incantato, written in 2009 for Petri, is a delightful 5-movement suite… Petri is in top form, the orchestra is wonderful. A quality issue, highly recommended!’
Classical CD Review
‘[Animal Farm] was a visually stunning, breathtaking film of astonishing technical achievement. Genius in every department… and the music, composed and conducted by Richard Harvey, seemed to tease out every fibre of every character’
Mail on Sunday
‘Top Songs of 2006: Kyrie for the Magdalene (The Da Vinci Code)
It’s not eligible for an Oscar for some reason… Liturgical music, lush and classical, with a strong choir and female solo. I don’t know what they’re saying exactly, but it’s certainly emotional’
Soundtrack.net
‘…now growing from solo guitar (John Williams) to the wonderful exuberant mix of choir and orchestra. This is the real climax of this entire oratorio. It has supreme moments, classical influences… and, above all, a voice to celebrate. Plague and the Moonflower works wonders’
maintitles.net
‘The recorder player Richard Harvey calls his LP The Genteel Companion… His vivacity, surefootedness, musicality and clear-tongued articulation create something like astonished admiration’
Gramophone
‘Plenty of good sounds on offer, especially in the two pieces by Richard Harvey, the conductor. These, together with the Gesualdo, were my own favourites’
Gramophone
‘Kyrie for the Magdalene is a stunning plainsong-inspired liturgical lament which the internationally celebrated modern choral composer John Tavener would be proud to call his own’
Movie Music UK
‘This recording [Antonio Vivaldi and Contemporaries] first appeared 18 years ago. Re-hearing it now, I am even more impressed than I was when I first reviewed it… Even more desirable than the CD of 1988, which already carried my strong recommendation’
Gramophone
‘They should put out the Cantilena [from Concerto Antico] as a single – very pretty, very Rodrigoesque, with cooling marimba to stop it caramelising… I’m still trying to get my head around a finale where Philip Glass meets Tudor England’
The Independent
‘[Divisions on a Ground] is a good anthology. Richard Harvey plays fluently and expressively, illuminating much of the more agile music with an unusually rapid and incisive technique of tongueing’
Gramophone
‘Van Eyck’s Variations are played with magical effect… No less noteworthy is the beautifully fluid playing of Harvey, whose virtuosity, though remarkable, is best measured by the musical end-product… [The Genteel Companion] is one of the most delightful programmes to have come my way in a very long time’
Gramophone
‘John Williams, the soloist on this disc, was the inspiration for these works, which are among the best guitar concertos composed since Rodrigo’s hugely popular Concerto de Aranjuez (1939)’
Washington Post
‘Richard Harvey springs upon the record world a fully-fledged virtuoso, playing with flair and precision, but also with great attention to authentic style. Baroque playing at its very best’
Music Week
‘Harvey describes his own work by saying he wanted to write something Williams would find “impossible to play”. Yet far from being a technical barrage, Harvey’s work is involving, beautifully structured and pits a well-sized small orchestral force against Williams’ versatile guitar’
Edmonton Journal
‘Richard Harvey plays treble, descant and sopranino recorders with verve and conviction’
Classic CD
‘Concerto Antico is a radiant work, by turns a display of simple beauty and breathtaking virtuosity. The music is immediately attractive and carries a lasting sense of joy’
Film Score Monthly
‘…a bit like Spanish music suffused with the chipper dignity of Harvey’s England: Rodrigo by way of Vaughan Williams’
Newsday